Afraid of Parties

Joshua Acevedo

  I’m at a party full of people I don’t know very well Should I leave, or stay in fear People crowd closer around me, raising their voices The walls feel as if they are closing in I feel each breath falling down my neck A girl smiles at me, I grin back and wave Was that the correct response? Why am I so awkward? I stare into my designated driver’s eyes As she shotguns her third or fourth beer of the night Fuck, I sighed, now I’m stuck here People pop pills next to me The music gets louder, and LOUDER,

AND LOUDER

I hear a girl scream “Shots!” She pulls me to the table and hands me a shot glass full of cheap vodka Vodka. A poison that instilled a plague in my mind. Vodka. A destructive force that ruined some of my closest friendships. Vodka. A drink that turns me into an egotistical prick. Still, I stand and throw the poison back And it burns on its way down. I take a breath. Maybe five more and I will actually enjoy the party.